The UFC 300 lineup continues add high level talent with the addition of a matchup between two former titleholders.
Former flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] will take on former bantamweight kingpin [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] in a 135-pound bout on the April 13 card, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN. Both men had expressed interest in the fight after picking up recent wins, and the promotion obliged.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight Friday. MMA Junkie previously confirmed the matchup with people with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from AG Fight.
Figueiredo (22-3-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) recently moved up a division from his longtime home at 125 pounds following his history four-bout series vs. Brandon Moreno, which ultimately ended without the belt in his possession. The Brazilian shined in his divisional debut in December, though, outworking perennial contender Rob Font over the course of three rounds to win a unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 52.
Looking to hand Figueiredo his first setback in the new weight class is Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who is on something of a resurgence with back-to-back victories that brought him out of a rough patch of five losses in six fights. “No Love” specifically asked for the matchup vs. Figueiredo following his UFC 296 knockout of Brian Kelleher, and he got his wish.
The booking will mark the second time Figueiredo and Garbrandt have been matched up. Garbrandt was scheduled to challenge Figueiredo for the flyweight title in November 2020, but was forced to withdraw due to a torn bicep.
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The latest UFC 300 lineup now includes:
- Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan – for strawweight title
- Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
- Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Cody Brundage vs. Bo Nickal
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.